


Beginnings

by Fabrisse



Category: Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Genre: Chromatic Yuletide, Friendship, Gen, Mrs. Claus Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 20:49:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17107889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fabrisse/pseuds/Fabrisse
Summary: Vignettes from the early days of their friendship





	Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [clio_jlh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/clio_jlh/gifts).



There was one final sock. Rachel had put up with it patiently for weeks, the carelessness, the mess. She’d kept their common area clean and beaten back the worst of Peik Lin’s out of control _stuff_ in their shared bedroom, but this sock was on her side of the room.

“Have you never heard of picking up after yourself?” Rachel began.

Peik Lin looked up from her book and said, “Say what?”

“The common area, this room -- have you never considered other people? I straighten your books, make certain your notes are on _your_ desk and you just casually… “ there was a moment of fuming before she finished, “drop _**socks**_.”

“Wait a minute. You’ve been picking up after me?”

Rachel sat on her own bed and looked at her roommate incredulously. “Who did you think was keeping our suite mates from killing us?”

“The maid.”

They stared at each other for a long moment before Rachel burst out laughing. “The maid? Why would there be a maid?”

Peik Lin chuckled. “Because there are always maids. It really didn’t occur to me that you were the one doing it. I was going to leave you a tip at the end of the semester.”

That caused a new fit of the giggles from Rachel. “Really? A maid. We’re in college.”

“My family… Look, Singapore isn’t like America. Everyone has some help. Honestly, I think even the maids probably have maids. This school is like a big deal, so I thought they’d have maids like, I don’t know, Oxford and Cambridge do in the U.K.”

Rachel finally calmed down. “I forget you’re not American sometimes. I should have talked about it with you before, not held on until I blew up. Forgive me?”

“You think that was blowing up? In my family, that wouldn’t even be a tantrum. You’re fine, forgiven, whatever. What I want to know is when you have time to clean? You’re here to study and meet people and all the other cliches of college life, not to clean.”

“For some people, this whole discussion is one of the cliches of college life,” Rachel said.

“Enough of that, dawg. We’re going to make sure your brilliant mind keeps being brilliant.” She dug out her phone and glanced at her watch before dialling.

“What are you doing?” Rachel asked when the phone number went well beyond the ten digits of a U.S. number. 

There was a rapid fire conversation which she didn’t understand at all. Peik Lin finally closed out the conversation and smiled at her. “C’mon. Let’s get dinner at Andreas.”

“What was that? I know it wasn’t Chinese.”

“English, girl. Well, Singlish -- some Malay. C’mon. I want Greek food. Give me that sock.”

Startled, Rachel handed over the sock she was still holding. She found her shoes. “McDonalds is about all I can afford. Sorry.”

“My treat. Oh, and the maid starts Monday. Three days a week.”

Rachel did a double take, but Peik Lin just slung an arm around her shoulders and kept talking while they went to grab Greek food.

***  
“Peik Lin, I can’t do this without you. Four years we’ve lived together. Don’t make me apply alone. Singapore is one of the qualifying countries.” Rachel was trying to make Bambi eyes as she spoke.

“You know how many younger siblings I have. Puppy dog eyes don’t work on me.”

“I was aiming for Bambi.”

“Then you got work to do, girlfriend. They barely made it to puppy.” Peik Lin turned serious for a minute. “There’s only one opening per year for Singapore. You want me to go to Oxford with you for a year, just ask. But I’m not going to take away an opportunity for someone who couldn’t afford it on her own.”

“I hadn’t thought of that. What would you study?”

“Commonwealth Literature, but honestly, I don’t think you should be applying for a Rhodes Scholarship at all. Your Spanish is good, excellent even. Barcelona’s Graduate School for Economics is widely considered one of the best in the world for Game Theory. Why in hell aren’t you applying for a Fulbright to attend for a Master’s?”

“Because it would cost me too much money, especially if I’m going for a doctorate afterward. I really want Stanford, if I can get in, and that’s not cheap, even with working as a T.A. or something.”

“Tell you what. I’ll apply to whatever college at Oxford for a year-long Commonwealth Literature program if you’ll apply to Barcelona and for a Fulbright as well as the Rhodes. If you get into Barcelona, I’ll come with you and do some kind of independent study thing on Gaudi or Catalan literature or regional politics in the EU or something. Then we can worry about Stanford. Or you can, I’ll be expected home after my European fling.”

“Don’t they need you now?”

“Need? Nah. Hell, they won’t need me back after the European fling, it’s just that’s what we planned. If I’m going to change plans, I’ll need to head back to Singapore for at least a year first.”

“All right. I’ll apply to Barcelona as well as for a Rhodes Scholarship. We’ll figure the rest out when I get my responses. There’s a good chance, I’ll end up staying in the U.S. anyway.”

“Rachel Chu, I don’t know what you see when you look in the mirror, but I see the smartest person I know -- though that probably means less after you meet my family. If you aren’t snapped up by Barcelona and the Fulbright awards, then I know you’ll get that Rhodes Scholarship. Afterward, Stanford will snap you up in a heartbeat when you’re done.” She hugged Rachel close. “And if they don’t, I’ll kick their collective ass.”

***  
Barcelona was beautiful. Her master’s program had an extra degree of difficulty by being in Spanish, but the work she was doing was everything she’d hoped for.

Rachel looked out from her desk in the loft area of their apartment. She’d resolved not to ask Peik Lin how they were able to rent an apartment in Casa Mila and in return, she would, as Peik Lin had asked, teach her how to cook her mother’s regional Chinese dishes.

It had been a bit of a wrench to realise she’d have to choose between the Rhodes Scholarship and the Fulbright, but there was no way to do both. She would complete her master’s in record time. She’d already been accepted to Columbia for her doctoral work -- contingent upon her master’s -- which would help with expenses. Her mom was already airing out her room. She could see the shape of her life.

Peik Lin yelled out as she shut the door. “Dinnertime. I picked up Indian food.”

Rachel grinned. None of this would be possible without her friend beside her. “I’ll be down in five minutes.”

"If you're not, the papadoms are mine."


End file.
